As part of the transmission assembly process, a bearing press is used to press bearings into the rear of the transmission case. The bearing aperture is inside the transmission, making the bearing press installation difficult to observe. At the same time the bearing is being pressed into the case, a snap ring is installed in a snap ring groove to hold the bearing in its proper location. The location of the snap ring is critical during the pressing operation. That is, if the snap ring is not in the proper position, the transmission case can snap or break.
Related to the snap ring detection system and method described and claimed herein is a magnichanical sensor described in a first copending patent application having Ser. No. 09/235,890 and filing date of Jan. 22, 1999, and having the common inventor and assignee herewith. An apparatus and method for fabrication and testing of the sensor described and claimed herein and the magnichanical sensor of the first copending patent application is described in a second copending patent application having a Ser. No. 09/235,889 and filing date of Jan. 22, 1999, and having the common inventor and assignee herewith. The first copending patent application having Ser. No. 09/235,890 and the second copending patent application having Ser. No. 09/235,889 are incorporated herewith by reference.
Therefore, among the purposes of this invention is to detect the position of a snap ring in a transmission assembly process.
Also a purpose of this invention is the novel snap ring device enhancement to facilitate detection of the snap ring during the transmission assembly process.